You're Not Strong
by Donatello8696
Summary: -"Sometimes people act like clowns on the outside because they're crying on the inside." This quote couldn't have been more true for Momoshiro. With being abused at home, Momo finds help and sanctuary coming from the person he least expects it from.
1. If Walls Could Talk

**Well, this idea came to me when I was listening to a song called **_**Kizuna**_** by Kamenashi Kazuya. I have no idea how I came up with it, but all of a sudden Momo pops into my head, and a story began to unfold. My brain really is incredible... =] **

**Disclaimer: I only own the names of Momo's siblings (he does have a brother and sister, both younger), Tatsuki and Takami. **_**The Prince of Tennis**_** belongs to Takeshi Konomi.**

**Warning: Swearing and child abuse in future chapters.**

* * *

Momo winced as a loud crash echoed throughout the house, and knew his father was in one of his rages again. He waited a moment, and sure enough the crash was followed by a loud booming voice that filled the entire house. Unconsciously, Momo drew both of his knees to his chest and hugged them, resting his forehead on his folded arms. He endured listening to his father as he called his mother everything from "bitch" to "two-timing slut."

"N-nii-chan?"

Momo lifted his head from his arms at the soft whimper coming from the doorway. His little brother and sister were lingering near the door, their small hands grasping the frame and staring at the older brother with wide, glistening eyes. Momo gave them a grim smile and sat up, spreading his legs out in front of him and spread out his arms.

"C'mere," he whispered loud enough for them to hear. Without hesitation, the two young children ran to Momo's bed, lifted themselves up, and flung into his waiting arms. Momo hugged them gently, tenderly stroking their hair or backs. He felt both of them tremble as their mother shrieked something, followed by another crash.

"It's okay, you two. It's alright," he murmured into his sister's hair. Tiny hands grabbed his yellow shirt tightly, and his brother buried his face deeper into Momo's chest as he began to cry quietly. His sister followed suit shortly after. "You guys are safe with me, understand? Nothing will happen to you while I'm here."

They sat there on Momo's bed, listening to the shouting and wincing at the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Momo heard the front door slam and heavy footsteps going down the steps. His father was gone. All that was left was the sound of his mother sobbing.

Momo shuddered and looked down at his siblings. His sister Takami was fast asleep, her face flushed and tear-stained. But Tatsuki was still awake and staring at Momo. Once he saw Momo had caught him looking, Tatsuki spoke, his voice wavering slightly.

"Nii-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Why do kaa-san and tou-san hate each other?"

It was as though something had pierced Momo's heart. He stared at his little brother, a wave of sorrow crashing down on him. It was not fair. Tatsuki and Takami had seen horrors unimaginable to other children in the very place they were supposed to considered a safe haven. A _home_. They had lost some of their child innocence at a very young age. They were only six, for crying out loud ! Six! At that age, they were supposed to be care-free, oblivious to this kind of violence. Instead, they had been forced to grow up knowing it and experiencing it as well. Momo supposed he was also too young to have to experience the violence his parents inflicted on each other, but he wasn't as young as Tatsuki and Takami. Not even close.

It just wasn't fair.

"Nii-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you crying?"

Momo raised his head slightly in surprise and gently removed the hand that was resting on Takami's back and slid it over his eyes. Sure enough, he felt a warm wet substance on his face he hadn't even realized was there.

"Are you sad, nii-chan?" Tatsuki asked. Momo looked into Tatsuki's eyes. They were violet, like his own. He nodded. "Hai, Tatsuki. I am," he whispered.

Tatsuki's response was to wrap his small, fragile arms around his older brother, resting his head on Momo's chest in some form of consolation. Momo gave a watery smile at his brother and ran his hand through his curly locks gently.

"C'mon. Let's try to get some sleep, 'kay?" Momo whispered. He felt Tatsuki nod against his chest and carefully tried to move himself in a laying position, trying not to wake up Takami. Once he was comfortable, Takami moaned quietly in her sleep, snuggling closer to Momo and regaining any contact she might have lost during his movement. Tatsuki kept his arms around Momo's torso and head on his chest and slowly closed his eyes, his breathing getting lighter and steadier. Soon he was asleep too.

From where he lay, Momo observed them. _This is what they were supposed to look like,_ he thought, feeling his eyes watering again. Peaceful, oblivious to the world around them, caught up in their own little world of dreams. Why couldn't life be as easy as that?

Mind full of troubled thoughts, Momo sighed and closed his eyes, falling into a fitful sleep, with his brother and sister in his arms.


	2. Calm Mornings

Momoshiro closed his eyes, breathing in the warm morning air.

This was probably his favorite time of the day, the morning. When the town was still calm and sometimes even quiet, but at the same time noisy. The birds chirping in the trees and the cars that were out in the streets were still part of what made Momo's morning this good. They made sure that it wasn't too quiet, but it also wasn't too loud either.

That was how Momo wished it was back at his house.

He hated it whenever his father was home, and the day would be spent hearing his booming voice screaming insults and commands at his mother, half the time beating her while he was doing it. He would do the same to Momo almost asmuch as he would to her. It was too loud, so loud that Momo wished he could just bury himself in his bed and hope the noise would die down, if only a little bit.

But he also hated it when his father was out of the house too. It would be dead quiet then, as though the very house was holding its breath, waiting for another attack to occur within its walls.

Momo opened his eyes again and swung his leg over his bike, beginning to pedal.

All in all, this was a nice change from the usual environment.

His bike's tires whizzed down the empty street as he rode down the familiar path to Ryoma's house. He reached it shortly, and as he turned the corner he found that Ryoma had already sped from his house, and in his haste left the front gate open. Fixing a smile on his lips, Momo pedaled faster, soon catching up to the running boy.

"Late again, Echizen?" he said in his teasing voice. Ryoma scowled.

"Looks like I'm not going to be the only one," Ryoma snapped, his annoyance barely fit into his voice with the slight exhaustion of running. Momo managed an obnoxious laugh, and sped off, leaving behind a shouting Ryoma.

Momo pedaled forward for a couple more seconds before squeezing on the brakes, skidding to a stop at the end of Ryoma's street and waited for the younger boy to catch up. Ryoma appeared next to him, panting and scowling heavily. Momo grinned.

"Well, come on," he said, gesturing toward the back of his bike. "Don't want to be late, do we?"

Ryoma shot him a glare but quickly went to the back of the bike, grabbing onto Momo's shoulders for balance as he climbed up.

He was completely oblivious to the flash of pain that spread across Momo's face before it was gone again, replaced with a false smile.

"Let's go."

And with a grunt of effort, he began pedaling again, trying hard not to wince as the younger boy clutched his shoulders in a tight grip.

**XXX**

Momo sighed in relief.

Today, school seemed to drag on longer than usual, time getting slower and slower by the second. True, he usually enjoyed going to school, mainly to see his friends and play tennis and emerge himself in his schoolwork and try to think about nothing else. It was just that today was one of those days where he wished he could just rest his head on top of his arms in class and sleep. At times like these he wished he was Ryoma.

He headed into the clubhouse after everyone had already left, completely exhausted. He was still breathing heavily and felt the sweat trickling down his back and face, drenching his shirt and made it cling to his skin. Maybe next time he shouldn't go all out in a practice match against Oishi. His body hurt like hell, but it was the price he had to pay to keep away the suspicious stares he would get if he wasn't playing like he normally did.

He walked to his locker and made sure that no one was inside or about to come inside the clubhouse before carefully lifting his shirt over his head. But no matter how careful or gentle he was, it didn't stop the pain from spreading across his chest like wildfire or the soft hiss that escaped his lips.

He hadn't realized that his eyes were shut tightly, and once he did, he forced them open and looked down to inspect the damage.

His torso was completely covered in angry red welts and violet bruises, some even turning green. He could see his ribcage expanding as he drew in every breath painfully, causing his injuries to throb. Momo cursed under his breath after he had removed his shirt from his arms, making his ribs throb torturously. Slowly, he bent down, trying his best to restrain himself from crying out in agony, picking up his bag. He unzipped it and rummaged inside it for a moment before pulling out what he was looking for: a rag and alcohol.

Momo stifled a groan and pulled himself back upright, gritting his teeth. After pausing for a moment, Momo uncapped the bottle and placed the rag on the mouthpiece, turning it upside-down for a second. After the rag had gotten wet from the alcohol, Momo turned it back upright and screwed the cap back on, dropping it back into his bag. Hesitantly, he draped the rag over a welt on his stomach that had been holding back blood with a make-shift bandadge.

He growled, eyes shutting tightly again in agony as the pain was nastier than ever.

He didn't even notice the door opening at that moment, or the startled hiss that came from the newcomer.

"M-Momoshiro?"

Momo eyes snapped open, finally registering the fact that he wasn't alone in the clubhouse. Unconsciously letting out short, panicked gasps, he wheeled around as fast as he could without inflicting more agony on himself and found himself face to face with a wide-eyed Kaidoh.

* * *

**Uh-oh. Momo's secret has been discovered. And by none other than his rival, Mamushi. This was **_**not**_** how I was planning on ending this chapter. It was supposed to be Ryoma who would find out about Momo, but while typing I realized that it would've seemed too obvious if Ryoma had found it out first. I mean, he was the first Regular mentioned after the first chapter and he's Momo's best friend. So I settled with someone else, and that someone else happened to be Kaidoh. Huh. **

**Well, anyway, hope you guys didn't think that my writing sucked in this chapter. I was racing to meet the deadline in my updating schedule that I barely finished last night before I went to bed, and I tend to be careless when I'm rushing into something. So, here it is.**

**Reviews make me happy. =D**


	3. I Don't Like It

**Another update from me! =D Hopefully I can keep this up when I go into high school next month. But chances are maybe not, and the updates will most likely be more spaced out than they are now. But I will try my best! **

**And now is the third chapter of You're Not Strong, where Kaidoh comes in. Happy reading!**

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Momo's wide eyes followed Kaidoh's every move as he advanced toward him, gaping at the bruises and scars on his upper body, then meeting his eyes in a question that he was apparently too shocked to ask. His mouth was hanging open, occasionally trying to form words, but momentarily Kaidoh seemed unable to. Finally, Kaidoh came out of his trance and fiercely turned to Momo, nearly shouting, "What is this?" He gestured wildly at Momo's body for emphasis.

Momo didn't answer, but instead quickly grabbed his shirt from his locker and slid into it. _It's no use,_ he thought miserably, his body too numb right now to feel the pain of moving too quickly. _He already saw everything._

After his shirt was in place, Momo faced Kaidoh, who was waiting for his answer with his arms crossed over his chest and looking furious. Momo swallowed nervously and said quietly, "Kaidoh, let me expla - "

"Explain? What is there to explain?" Kaidoh was shouting now, his loud voice filling the small locker room. Momo flinched. "_That_ pretty much explains it all!" He pointed at Momo's chest again. Momo put his hands up and tried to speak again.

"Kaidoh, listen - "

"No, _you _listen!" Kaidoh yelled, suddenly starting forward toward Momo. Momo, startled, nearly tripped over his bag in an attempt to back away from the angry tennis player. He felt his back hit the lockers with a hard thump, and he managed to choke back a cry as the metal hit a bruise on his back, causing pain to spread throughout his lower back. Kaidoh stopped afew feet in front of him, fuming. "I don't know why you're trying to hide it - "

"No, you don't, and it's none of your business anyway!" Momo cut Kaidoh off, feeling the familiar anger he always held for his rival boil in his stomach.

"What do you mean it's none of my business? It _is _my business!" [1]

_What?_

"Who doing this, Momo?"

Momo stared at his rival, surprised. Kaidoh was never known to use his nickname that was commonly used with his peers and friends. He was never one to start caring for an individual either. What was going on?

Before Momo could open his mouth to speak, the door to the locker room opened and their coach entered looking at them with a mixture of confusion and strictness in her features. Kaidoh immediately backed off, facing their coach. Ryuuzaki raised an eyebrow.

"What are you two still doing here? Practice ended nearly a half hour ago," she asked, oblivious to the tense atmosphere that had previously been hanging in the air.

Momo glanced at Kaidoh for a second, then faced Ryuuzaki. "Nothing, sensei," he said, shooting Kaidoh a warning glare. "Gomen, we'll be leaving now."

"I hope you two weren't fighting with each other just now," she said sternly. "We already have enough of that during practice."

"We weren't, it was nothing," Momo said, feeling his insides clench. Had she heard anything?

But Ryuuzaki didn't look shocked, or angry as Kaidoh had been. Just weary, tired. "Well, you boys better go on home then. Don't be lingering around here."

"Hai, sensei," Momo said, bowing respectfully, silently catching his breath at a new wave of pain on his abdomen. To avoid more pain, he didn't straighten himself up, but instead reached over for his bag while still in mid-bow and then stood up. He glanced over at Kaidoh before hurridely leaving the locker room. He moved as quickly as he could across the tennis courts toward where his bike was parked, and he had almost reached the gates when he felt a sudden strong hand on his wrist, yanking him back.

"Hey - " he wheeled around to see Kaidoh standing there, a tennis calloused hand closed around his wrist.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kaidoh asked, not loosening his grip.

"You know fully well where I'm going, Mamushii, now let me go," Momo growled, trying to free himself from Kaidoh. His attempts were in vain; Kaidoh was stronger than he gave him credit for. Kaidoh shook his head, narrowing his eyes.

"Not until I get a straight answer from you."

Momo scowled. "Fine. I'm going to pick up my brother and sister from their friend's house. Happy? Let me go," he said, once again trying to pull his arm away. He felt himself get pulled back, and knew that it was useless to try and fight with Kaidoh.

"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know that! Now I'm not letting you leave until you give me an answer!" Kaidoh hissed.

Momo glared at his rival angrily. "Well, I should phone my siblings and say they're spending the night over where they're at, 'cause I'm not telling you anything that isn't your business."

Kaidoh's grip finally loosened, and Momo took the opportunity to yank his wrist away, sending a spasm of pain to flash through his left shoulder. He kept his gaze even with Kaidoh's, and was bewildered to see him grow less and less angry and looked more concerned. "Momoshiro, I swear, you have to tell someone about this. I can tell that this wasn't a beating from just anyone. This is a home issue, isn't it?"

Momo's eyes widened. How did he figure it out so fast? What had he done to give it away? He tried to play dumb by quickly masking his face into a puzzled expression and pretended to laugh it off. "What? I don't know what you're talking about."

Slight frustration came into Kaidoh's expression, but the worry didn't go away. "I'm not an idiot, Momoshiro. And you've got to give yourself some credit; big guy like you, people would be stupid to take you on."

He did have a point. Momo sighed and looked down.

"Momo," Kaidoh said. Momo's brows furrowed; it was still odd for him to listen to Kaidoh use his nickname. "Momo, you have to tell someone about this, 'cause if you don't..."

Kaidoh trailed off, pausing.

"If you don't, I'll tell Ryuuzaki-sensei and buchou."

Momo's head snapped up. _What did he just say?_

He supposed he had said this out loud without realizing it, because Kaidoh replied with, "You heard me."

Momo frantically shook his head. "No, no, no, no, y-you can't do that!"

Kaidoh crossed his arms over his chest again. "Something has to be done, Momoshiro. This is _wrong. _You're being _abused_!"

"Listen to me, Mamusii," Momo responded. "I. Can't. I don't expect you to understand, but if you were in my situation, you wouldn't tell anyone either."

"What are you talking about? How?" Kaidoh said, slightly taken aback.

"I-It's difficult."

"Try me."

Momo swallowed and sighed. "Alright. You have an otouto, right?"

Kaidoh nodded. "Hai. Hazue."

"Right. Do you love him?"

At this, Kaidoh sent Momo a look that clearly said _Are you stupid?_ Momo nodded. "Right. Well, if you were living with parents like mine and being abused, you would do anything to protect him, right? So what if the police found out what was going on? What if someone tried to take Hazue-kun away?"

"It'd be the last thing they ever did," Kaidoh said without hesitation.

Momo nodded. "Exactly."

And Momo watched as realization dawned on Kaidoh's face and continued, "So please try to understand. I'm keeping this a secret for my brother and sister. I want us to stay together, and we have no chance of that happening if anyone with that kind of authority found out about our parents."

Silence followed Momo's words, and he patiently waited for Kaidoh to speak. The older boy stood, gazing at the ground, and for a second Momo feared that Kaidoh was not going to listen to him. But immense relief flowed through him when Kaidoh finally looked up and nodded.

"Alright. I'm not saying I like it, but alright," Kaidoh said. "I won't tell."

Momo sighed in relief. "Arigatou, Mamushii."

Kaidoh nodded, looking furious with himself.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Momo said, turning away to toward his bike. He took a few steps then turned to look at Kaidoh over his shoulder. "And Mamushii," he said. Kaidoh looked up. "When I say don't tell anybody, I really mean don't tell anybody. Especially not the team."

Kaidoh nodded again, knowing fully well that anybody besides Tezuka and Ryuuzaki would cause an uproar, especially someone like Oishi or Fuji.

"See you, then," Momo said, walking away.

Kaidoh watched as the younger boy reached his bicycle and swung his leg over the seat before he began pedaling. He watched as Momo rode down the street, jacket flapping in the wind, and turned the corner, going out of his sight. Then he walked out of the tennis courts and headed in his own direction to his home, sighing. Why did he have to get involved in this? Like Momo said, was this any of his business? But the boy was being abused at home! He understood what Momo meant when he said he wanted to keep this a secret for the sake of keeping his siblings close to him, but still...

Kaidoh ran a hand across his face. Who was he kidding? It was true what Momo had said, that he would do anything to protect Hazue if he had been in the other's situation.

"I won't tell anyone," he told himself firmly. "But I still don't like it."

* * *

**So there it is! Now hopefully Kaidoh keeps his promise to Momo and doesn't tell anybody. Poor Momo... =(**

**Next update should probably be around the beginning of August, of things aren't too busy. Review please!**


	4. Do the Right Thing

**Disclaimer: I still don't own them. ='(**

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"So, how was your day?" Momo asked, glancing down at Tatsuki and Takami. They were walking back from his siblings' friend's house, where Momo had been leaving them since they were small children for protection against their parents. Momo walked beside his bicycle, going slowly for his brother and sister to keep up. "Did you guys do anything interesting?"

Takami looked up with that wild excitement on her face. "Oh, oh nii-chan! Today, we were playing with the Itarus' baby, right? And Tatsuki gave him a little toy, and the baby just threw it back in his face!" She went into a fit of giggles after that.

"Really?" Momo said, smiling down at Tatsuki. "How's that face, otouto?"

"'M okay," Tatsuki responded, rubbing his cheek. "'M not going to give him any more toys, though." Momo chuckled and rubbed his brother's shoulder.

"Ah, you'll be okay," Momo said, looking up to find they were already in front of their house. Immediately, he became aware, and quietly motioned to Tatsuki and Takami to be silent. They both obeyed wordlessly, grabbing onto the hem of their brother's shirt as he quietly walked up the path leading to the porch. Momo looked to his left and saw with horror that his father's car was in the driveway.

"Okay, come on, you two. And be quiet," Momo whispered, turning back and hiding his bike in the thick bushes before putting a hand on each of his sibling's shoulders and leading them to the side of the house rather than the front. Once they got there, Momo let go of his brother and sister, reached up, and unlatched the lock he had placed on the outside in case of situations like this. He pushed the window up carefully, relieved that it didn't groan and squeak in protest like other times. Once it was high enough, he crouched down in front of Tatsuki and Takami, giving them a serious look.

"Alright," Momo said. "Listen carefully, you two. I'm going to lift you up to that window. It goes into my room, so you'll be okay there. You go through and try to land on my bed. I'm going to close that window after you're both in, okay?"

"Why? Aren't you coming too?" Takami asked, looking frightened. Momo gave her a sad smile.

"Wish I could, Takami. But I wouldn't be able to fit through that window, nor would I be able to pull myself inside. I'm going to go through the front door."

"But - But tou-san is in there," Tatsuki said worridley, eyes huge. _Damn, _Momo thought_. So I wasn't the only one who noticed._

"It's okay, Tatsuki, I'll be alright," Momo said, trying in any way he could to reassure his brother. "Now listen. Once you're in, stay in my room, alright? Lock the door as quietly as you can and stay quiet. And if you hear anything, anything at all coming from kaa-san or tou-san, or me if I'm not at the door, run to the closet and stay in there until I knock at the door, okay?"

Tatsuki and Takami were silent, and Momo watched as their eyes filled with tears of fright. They knew all too well what could happen to their brother when their father was in the house. Momo sighed and put a hand on thier shoulders. "Do you understand me, guys?"

They nodded. "H-Hai, nii-chan," they chorused.

Momo nodded. "Okay." He faced his brother and squeezed his shoulder gently. "Take care of your sister, alright otouto?"

Tatsuki smiled slightly and nodded. "Hai."

Momo nodded once. "Okay. Let's go. Takami, you first."

Momo cupped his hands in front of him, a stable place for Takami to stand without falling. Takami obediantly put her foot in Momo's hands and he hoisted her up, making sure she had a firm hold on the window before pushing her higher. She squeezed her small body through the opening and in a second she disappeared into the room.

"Imouto, are you okay?" Momo called in a whisper-shout. Takami's head appeared in the window and she nodded. Momo looked down at Tatsuki and crouched back down. "Your turn," he whispered, cupping his hands again. Tatsuki mimicked his sister, standing one-footed on his brother's hands while being pushed up toward the window. Momo grunted as he pushed him up higher as he did to his sister, helping him through the opening. And then Tatsuki was out of sight as well.

"You two okay?" he asked. They both appeared through the window, glancing down at him.

"Hai," they said in unison. Momo smiled.

"I'm going to the front door now. Remember, stay in my room, lock the door, and go into the closet if you hear anything until I come and knock, okay? Stay together."

And without another word to his brother and sister, he closed the window and jogged over to the front of the house, praying that his father wasn't in a foul mood.

**XXX**

"Kaa-san?"

Hozumi Kaidoh turned to see her eldest son leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. She smiled, putting down the dish she had finished rinsing on the counter. "Kaoru. Is there anything wrong?"

She saw him hesitate for a moment before saying, "Can I ask you a question?"

Hozumi nodded, encouraging him to continue. She had noticed that her son had a problem on his mind ever since he had arrived from practice. For one, he had arrived early, showing no signs that he had been on his daily jog after tennis practice. And he was quiet, lost in thought, occasionally scowling and shaking his head at something only known to him.

"Yes, Kaoru, what is it?" she asked.

Kaoru sighed, and pushed himself away from the door frame. "Did you... Did you ever have this secret that someone told you, but it wasn't yours to tell? Something that they made you swear not to tell, even if it was a danger to them?"

Hozumi's gentle smile became slightly sad and she nodded again, turning back to the dishes in the sink. "Hai. I remember I was around your age, and my best friend Nami was attacked while walking home from the store to her house by a man. He beat her, then he sexually abused her."

She tilted her head slightly to the right and saw her son's eyes had gone wide. She shook her head, walking away from the sink toward the cupboards with a load of dry dishes. "I seemed to be the only one she could trust at that point in her life, and she told me everything the next day. She made me swear to never tell a soul about what happened to her, and she had everyone fooled; she covered all her bruises and cuts well. But she had left me with a terrible burden. I wished desperately that she had never made me promise, because I knew that if she wasn't checked by a doctor, she could be severely hurt. So, I took the harder step, and I told her parents about what happened."

Silence.

Furrowing her eyebrows a little, she turned back around. Kaoru was looking down at the ground, clearly thinking hard about something. A moment of silence passed before he looked up again and asked, "What happened after that?"

Hozumi chuckled quietly, closing the cupboard doors. "Nami was angry with me after that. She didn't pick up the phone when I called, nor did she return my phone calls. I lived with a terrible pain of losing my best friend, but I knew that I did the best thing for her."

Kaoru's eyebrows knitted together. "What was that?"

Hozumi stopped where she was and sighed. "I helped her by telling people who love her what had happened to her, so they could help her as well. To her, I may have broken my promise, but really, what good is a promise if that person is going to get hurt regardless if you keep it or not?"

Hozumi watched as her son looked back down, jamming his fists down his pockets. She walked over to him until she was right in front of him and waited until he looked up again before she smiled gently again, placing her hand on his cheek.

"Do the right thing, Kaoru," was all Hozumi said before removing her hand and leaving the kitchen and her son, who grew even more confused and frustated than before.

"But what _is _the right thing?" he whispered to himself in frustration, and then he too left the kitchen.

* * *

**Aw, someone give Kaidoh a hug! He's so confused right now... =(**

**So this concludes the fifth chapter! I wrote this in one day too! I guess that's what happens when you're stuck in a hotel room with nothing to do. x) I changed Kaidoh's mother's name because I just found out that she really did have a real name a while ago. LOL**

**Review please!**


	5. Restrained Emotions

**I decided to make this story my main focus, because I have more ideas for this than the others. The rest of the stories will be updated according to schedule, but this story will be updated more often. It could be updated at random, like two times a week. So expect more updates soon!**

**Also, before I forget to post it, the original idea for how Kaidoh reacts to Momo's injury came from one of my friends, **_Girl With a Golden Smile_**. All credit goes to her. Thanks so much for your idea!**

* * *

Kaidoh paused, then looked up, his eyes sweeping through the cafeteria. Over at a different table, he saw Eiji, Oishi, and Fuji eating together, talking. Tezuka sat alone, slightly away from Kaidoh's table. Ryoma sat with his freshman friends, and Taka and Inui were already leaving early.

No sign of a certain spiky-haired boy.

Kaidoh scowled and dropped his eyes to his food, taking a bite out of his soba ramen. He had done his morning jog to tennis practice, having a furious argument with himself. His mother's words the night before had confused him to no end, and he still didn't know the solution. While he was lost in his own thoughts, he only noticed something was wrong when Inui asked Ryoma if he had seen Momoshiro, the freshman replying that he had not seen the second year, as he had failed to show up at his house to pick him up as usual. Kaidoh had looked up and sure enough, Momo was missing. He tried his best to shrug it off, but he couldn't help the feeling of unease that had settled in his stomach for the rest of practice.

Kaidoh fiddled with the edge of his napkin and without thinking looked up again. Nothing. He mentally kicked himself as he glanced back down at his table. _He's not here, _Kaidoh thought to himself firmly._ Why am I so concerned anyway? Momoshiro should be alright._

Kaidoh softly growled in frustration, harshly packed what was left of his food into his bag and stood, walking out of the cafeteria. What was he thinking? Momo lives in an _abusive _home! Of course he wasn't alright! Something really bad must have happened to Momo to have prevented him from coming to school.

Kaidoh adjusted the strap of his schoolbag on his shoulder. He would check after school. He would go over to Momo's house and just see whether the boy was alright.

Kaidoh was so lost in his own thoughts that he was oblivious to the cat-like eyes following him out of the cafeteria.

**XXX**

"Buchou."

Tezuka turned, raising his eyebrows at Kaidoh, who was standing right behind him. "Kaidoh."

"Buchou, may I have permission to be dismissed from practice today?"

Tezuka's brows went from nearly disappearing into his hair to furrowing down into a confused line. "What is your reason?"

Kaidoh dug his hands into the pockets of his uniform pants. "It's about Momoshiro. I think I know why he was missing from school today and - "

"Kaidoh, whether Momoshiro skipped school today shouldn't be any of your concern. He's going to have to deal with the consenquences tomorrow. If he bothers showing up then too," Tezuka said indifferently, turning back to the courts.

Kaidoh restrained himself from scowling at his captain. "I... believe that Momoshiro's in trouble."

Tezuka faced his kouhai again. "How would you know that?"

Kaidoh smiled grimly. "I have reason to believe that."

"What?"

Kaidoh blinked. "Gomen, buchou. But it's not my place to say."

Tezuka stared at his kouhai for a moment, a slight frown on his mouth. Kaidoh appeared to be waiting patiently, but inside he was growing more and more frustrated with his sempai and practically restraining himself from fidgeting and glancing at the gate to the tennis courts.

Finally, Tezuka nodded. "Alright, Kaidoh. You're excused," he said.

Kaidoh held in his relief and nodded, bowing to his buchou. "Arigatou, Tezuka-buchou." He straightened himself up and turned toward the gate.

"Kaidoh," Tezuka called. Kaidoh faced his captain again. "I hope you're prepared for a lot of running tomorrow."

The faintest hint of a smile reached Kaidoh's lips as he replied, "Hai, buchou. Sayounara." And with that he walked off, thinking he was lucky to get off with such a simple punishment. With the laps Tezuka would assign him, he knew he would be able to run them all with no problem. At least the punishment wasn't the latest Inui Juice. He remembered how he walked in on his intimidating sempai in one of the science labs, pouring something into what seemed to be a blue-violet mixture. Kaidoh shuddered; that juice did not seem to have a very inviting sort of color, and once again he felt relief, this time for not having to find out what it tasted like, at least not today.

**XXX**

"Momoshiro!" Kaidoh tried the knob again. Locked. He raised his hand, rapping his fist smartly on the door.

He had arrived at Momo's house to nearly trip over what seemed to be a wheel. On closer inspection, Kaidoh realized it was a purple bike. Momo's bike, hidden in the bushes. Eyebrows knitted together, he jogged over to the front door, and upon reaching it, he raised his hand, listening.

Kaidoh could hear a child. It was sobbing, it's cries muffled inside the house.

"Momoshiro, open the door!" Kaidoh yelled, knocking on the door harder. The child's cries seemed to become louder. "MOMO!" Kaidoh let out a frustrated growl and was seriously starting to consider breaking down the door when a noise stopped him from behind the door.

Soft footsteps.

Kaidoh stared as the knob clicked, then the door creeped open slowly, revealing a small girl. He watched as her frightened eyes looked up at him, wide and scared. Her violet eyes.

"T-Takami-chan."

Recognition dawned on the little girl's face. "Kaidoh-kun!" she cried, running forward and wrapping her arms around the surprised teenager, hugging him with all the strength she could muster in her tiny arms. She glanced up at him, letting go and backing up some. The immense relief that had been etched upon her face was gone and replaced with the same fear that had previously been there. "Kaidoh-kun, you have to help! Nii-chan is hurt!" she said, tugging on his hand.

At this, Kaidoh immediately rushed forward into the house, pushing the door open wider and stepped into what seemed to be the living room area. He looked behind and saw Takami closing the door.

"Takami-chan, where is he?" Kaidoh said urgently. The young girl trembled slightly, raising her hand to point into a hallway outside the living room. "In his room," she said, walking forward. Kaidoh looked in the direction in which she pointed and started forward, walking into the dark hallway.

"Which room?" he called. Takami appeared beside him, pulling on his hand.

"Over here," she said, leading him to the closed door at the end of the hallway. Quickly, as soon as he reached it, Kaidoh twisted the knob and went inside. But what met his eyes as he stepped over the threshold made him halt in his tracks, staring at the scene before him with huge eyes.

A young boy around Takami's age was huddled near the bed, knees drawn up to his chest and face stained with tears. Kaidoh recognized him as Momo's otouto, Tatsuki. He figured he was the one that he had heard before outside. Tatsuki looked up at Kaidoh, breathing shakily. His wet eyes lit up when he saw who it was.

"Kaidoh-kun," he said quietly. Kaidoh's gaze lingered on Tatsuki for a moment before going back to what he had seen before and carefully began to walk forward.

Momo was unconscious, his face literally purple from all the bruises that had not been there the day before. They were slowly turning into a nasty shade of redish-purple, and they looked fresh. His cheek was swollen, nearing at his eye, which was almost completely shut tight. Kaidoh swallowed hard as he looked lower at Momo's chest. The injuries that he had seen yesterday were still there, but this time they were accompanied by more cuts and scars, some seeping a little blood. The rest of his body was covered by a dark blue blanket.

Kaidoh glanced over at Tatsuki again. "Tatsuki-kun," he said gently. Tatsuki met Kaidoh's eyes. "Why is your Aniki covered with a blanket?"

Tatsuki blinked. "Because he wasn't wearing anything."

* * *

**Okay, well I'm going to end it here. I really need to work on In the Hands of Others and Unknown Reality before tomorrow's deadline. Next chapter should come later this week, so be on the lookout!**

**Review please!**


	6. Story Unfolded

**And I'm back again! XD Bet you guys are getting annoyed by me now, huh? Well, here's chapter six, as promised.**

**Before we continue though, I'd like to thank all my reviewers for this story (your support means a lot! =D), and I'd like to thank **_**Lahdolphin**_**, who has reviewed each of my chapters without fail and gave me a lot of enthusiasm; **_**Lady-x-Exorcist, **_**who's comments always bring a smile to my face; and **_**, **_**who's encouraging enthusiasm gave me inspiration to keep writing. Thanks so much!**

**And on with the story!**

* * *

Kaidoh wrenched open the dresser's drawers, rummaging around before pulling out a shirt from one drawer and a pair of jeans and boxer shorts from another. He quickly walked back to where Momo lay on the floor and dropped down next to him. He put a hand underneath the still teenager and slowly sat him upright. He flinched whenever Momo let out a soft, painful groan. Kaidoh looked from the shirt he held in his hand to Momo, then over to the two twins.

"You two, come and help me," Kaidoh said. Takami and Tatsuki immediately came over, hovering over their brother and looking down with anxious eyes. "C'mere," he said, gesturing toward a spot behind Momo. "I want to to hold your Aniki up while I put on his shirt okay? Just make sure not to let him fall."

"Hai," they both said in unison and placed their hands behind Momo's shoulders. Kaidoh let go slowly, only completely when he knew they had a good grip on him, and then turned to the shirt. He unfolded it and aired it out, scrunching it up in his fists. Carefully, he put the opening over Momo's head and placed his fists on Momo's back, holding him up temporarily while the kids let go. He gently rolled the shirt down, telling the kids to grab a hold again.

The sleeves. Those were going to be a problem. While Kaidoh sat in silence, contemplating on the best way to do this without hurting Momo further, he heard his name being whispered and nearly jumped in shock.

"K.. Kaidoh? Wha' 'r you.." Momo murmured, his eyes opened halfway and dazed.

"Momoshiro, I need you to listen to me, alright?" Kaidoh said. Momo turned his head toward Kaidoh, his face twisting up in pain from the slow movement and nodded. "I need to to lift each of your arms, okay? When I tell you to." Momo nodded again, closing his eyes momentarily.

"Alright. Lift your right arm. Slowly," Kaidoh said. Momo obeyed, raising up his arm. Kaidoh watched as Momo's eyes shot open and then shut tight as a cry left his lips. He dropped his arm.

"Momoshiro, I need you to lift your arm," Kaidoh said.

"I.. I-It hurts," Momo whispered, his lids opening to reveal tears of agony in his eyes.

Kaidoh nodded. "I know. Just lift your arm for a short while, then your other one when I say, and it'll be over, okay? Promise."

Reluctantly, Momo agreed, and elevated his arm once more, biting his swollen lip to hold back another cry. Kaidoh carefully helped the boy out by lifting his arm just a little further, apologizing when a hiss left Momo's lips. He grabbed Momo's arm and placed it into the sleeve, pulling the shirt up onto his shoulder. Kaidoh lay Momo's arm down gently before asking Momo to do the same for the other.

Once the shirt was finally on, Kaidoh put an arm around Momo's shoulders and told the twins to let go. Once they did, he laid Momo down in the same laying position he was in. Momo's back met the ground with a grunt of pain. Now only the boxers and jeans were left. This required taking off the blanket. Taking a deep breath, Kaidoh turned to Tatsuki and Takami, who were sitting on either side of Momo.

"Do you two mind leaving the room for a short while?" Kaidoh said. Tatsuki and Takami looked up at the bandanna clad boy, then down at Momo. Momo smiled as reassuringly as he could, nodding his encouragement. The two children then stood up and quietly left the room. Kaidoh made sure the door was closed before turning back to Momo.

Kaidoh grabbed the top edge of the blanket and pulled it off the boy, making sure to avert his eyes quickly afterward. He grabbed the boxer shorts and worked on putting them up Momo's legs, which he now saw were also covered in new bruises and cuts. It seemed as though every movement caused Momo pain, for when Kaidoh asked him to lift his hips up so he could raise the boxers past his thighs, Momo did so with a stifled noise, his face screwing up again. The same went for when Kaidoh put on the pair of jeans.

And finally, Momo was dressed. Standing up, Kaidoh headed over to the door and opened it, calling Tatsuki and Takami back in.

"Come on," Kaidoh said as he dropped back down next to Momo. He took one of his arms and draped it acrosshis own shoulders, helping him up.

"W-what are you - " Momo protested.

"You're not staying in this house one more minute," Kaidoh said firmly, standing Momo up. "I'm taking you back to my place." And with that he began to walk, carefully making sure Momo didn't injure himself further. He didn't miss the stain on the rug as they left the room, Tatsuki and Takami in tow.

**XXX**

"For the last time, Momoshiro, no," Kaidoh said.

They were already in front of Kaidoh's house, Kaidoh's shoulders aching horribly from Momo's added weight. He made sure not to drop the injured tennis player as he tried to adjust Momo's weight on him as he began to slip. The whole time it took for them to arrive at Kaidoh's house, Momo would not stop protesting Kaidoh's decision, saying he didn't want to be a bother and that he could survive at his own home. Kaidoh would not have any of it.

"You're going to stay here whether you like it or not," Kaidoh said as they reached the front door. He turned to the twins. "Could one of you knock on the door for me, please?"

Tatsuki stepped forward and knocked. A short moment later, the door opened. And Kaidoh Hazue stood in the doorway, his expression startled at what he saw. His brother, out of practice, half-dragging a semi-conscious Momoshiro Takeshi. He didn't know who the other two were, but from the way they resembled Momoshiro he figured they were Momo's siblings.

"Hazue, would you mind stepping aside?" Kaidoh asked, grunting with the effort of carrying Momo. Hazue blinked and moved out of the way, letting Kaidoh, Momo and his brother and sister inside. He quietly closed the door before wheeling around, seeing his brother lead Momo toward the door that was his bedroom. The two young children remained standing, unsure what to do. "Nii-chan, what's going on?" he demanded.

Kaidoh only answered, "I'll explain in a second. Would you go into the bathroom and get the first-aid kit?"

Hazue scowled in confusion but did as he was told as Kaidoh disappeared with Momo inside his room.

**XXX**

Kaidoh collapsed into a chair at the kitchen table with a tired sigh, rubbing his eyes wearily. He had just left Momo in his room. He patched him up the best he could, but he figured maybe his mother could do it better. He left Momo sleeping on his bed, his siblings with him. It had been a long day, despite it only being a few hours. Hazue sat in the seat opposite him, staring.

"Care to explain what all that was about?" his brother asked. Kaidoh glanced up at Hazue from the gaps between his fingers and dropped his hand, thinking about the best way to start this.

"Okay. Well, you want the whole truth?" Kaidoh asked. Hazue nodded eagerly. Kaidoh smiled grimly. "Alright. But all I can tell you is what happened from yesterday spanning to today. I found out yesterday that... Momoshiro was being abused in his own home, by his own parents."

Hazue could only stare at his brother blankly. Kaidoh continued. "I was going into the tennis locker room after practice because I had forgotten some of my things. I walked in on Momoshiro, and I saw the bruises. He told me what was going on but made me promise not to tell anyone - "

"But why?" Hazue spoke up. "Why would keep something like this a secret?"

Kaidoh shook his head. "You're still probably too young to understand his reasoning." At this Hazue scowled, but didn't press further. "Today, he didn't show up in school. I was allowed to skip practice to see if I could find out if anything bad happened. That's when I went to his house and saw him lying unconscious on the floor. That's all I know." He didn't need to add the disgusting detail that Momo was most likely raped before he got there. Hazue didn't need to know that.

There was a pause as Hazue lapsed into silence. Kaidoh watched his little brother as he looked away, his fist clenched tightly on top of the table. After a moment, he gave a sharp intake of air and asked, "Is he going to be staying here?"

Kaidoh nodded. "That's what I'm planning on doing. I'm going back to his house to get his things if he's going to stay here."

"But what about kaa-san? Or tou-san?" Hazue responded, looking up again, one eyebrow raised. "Is it going to be okay with them?"

"Is what going to be okay with us?" A voice said before Kaidoh could answer.

Speaking of which...

* * *

**Whoo! Two chapters in one day! I feel like I'm on a roll! XD**

**Well, here's chapter six. I'm going to try and update more this week, since In the Hands of Others is updated and Unknown Reality's deadline is tomorrow, so I'll be able to work on this while working on another schedule. Hope you like!**

**Review please! =D**


	7. Now You Know

**Chapter seven! This is probably the most I've ever worked on a story in a long time. xD**

**Disclaimer: Oh yeah, I totally own the Prince of Tennis. That's why you see yaoi on almost every page in the manga. x) The Prince of Tennis belongs to Takeshi Konomi.**

* * *

"Kaa-san. Tou-san," Kaidoh said, jumping out of his seat, startled by his parents sudden appearence. His mother entered the dining room with a bulging brown paper bag, and his father was right behind her in his work clothes. Kaidoh frowned at his father.

"Tou-san, what are you doing home so early? I thought you said you were going to stay later today."

"Hai, that's what I had assumed. But it turned out that the bank didn't need me today, so they sent me home," Shibuki Kaidoh said, grabbing the grovery bag from his wife's hands and walking back toward the kitchen. Hozumi's gaze traveled from her eldest son, who was still standing somewhat apprehensive, to Hazue, who was sitting and avoiding her eyes.

"What were you two talking about before we came home?" she asked.

Kaidoh hesitated, weighing his options. If he didn't tell her, she was going to find out anyway; it would be really hard to hide three kids in a small house without at least someone finding out. And if he did tell her, she would be able to help Momo.

He sighed, giving in to his last option. "Kaa-san, remember what I was asking you last night?"

Hozumi paused, recalling the conversation she had had with her son and nodded. "Hai, I remember. Why? What's going on?"

Kaidoh was silent, looking down as he tried to figure out the right words to say. "Etto.." he muttered. Then he glanced up. "Could you help him?"

Hozumi eyebrows raised in confusion. "Help? What do you mean, Kaoru?"

Kaidoh only walked out of the dining room, wordlessly telling his mother to follow him, and she did so without quesiton. She followed him to his bedroom door which was shut tight. He stopped, turning to face her. "_Could _you help him, Kaa-san?"

"I need to see what you mean before I can say for sure, Kaoru," his mother replied, looking uneasy and slightly bewildered. Kaidoh hesitated again, then took a breath, placing his hand on the doorknob and opening the door. He walked inside and beckoned to his mother. She entered the dark room, her eyes scanning to find anyone. They stopped on the bed, then widened considerably.

"Momoshiro?"

**XXX**

"So... you broke your promise."

Kaidoh looked up. Momo was laying still on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling and avoiding Kaidoh's eyes. Kaidoh's mother had left not long ago after attending to Momo's injuries, much better than Kaidoh had done. During this process, Momo had to wake up his brother and sister, sending them out of the room. Hazue volunteered to look after them, and as they listened they could hear the delighted squeals of laughter from both children and Hazue's playful voice. Kaidoh inwardly smirked to himself; he never knew that his little brother was so good with kids.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Momo said, turning his head slightly to face Kaidoh. The teen sat up in the chair he had brought in.

"About what?"

Momo sighed, wincing. "Why aren't you at practice right now? Doesn't it end in a little while?"

"It ended about twenty minutes ago," Kaidoh said, an uneasy feeling brewing inside him.

Momo frowned. "Whatever. Why?"

Kaidoh stared. "Why not?"

Silence.

After a moment, Kaidoh finally turned away, scoffing. "Baka."

"Nani?"

Kaidoh scowled, looking back at Momo. "You really think that I was just going to ignore your situation? You only told me yesterday, Momoshiro! I'm not going to forget about it anytime soon, so don't expect me to."

Momo, bewildered at his rival's words, tried to speak. "I-I don't unders - "

"Understand? You don't understand?" Kaidoh said, amused and angry at the same time. "Damn it, Momoshiro, you are stupid. Do you even know how worried I was when you weren't in school today? Especially with what you told me yesterday?" The words had left his mouth before Kaidoh even realized what he had said. When he did, he saw the Momo's eyes had gone very wide.

"You... Y-You were... worried about me?"

Damn.

But why? It wasn't a crime to worry about someone, was it? Surely, Kaidoh wouldn't sink so low to not care if something had happened to a friend, even if it was Momo. So for now, Kaidoh decided to swallow his pride and answered truthfully. "Hai."

Momo's startled expression remained on his face for a moment as he stared at Kaidoh before he went back to gazing up at the ceiling. "Wow. And here I was thinking you were just a cold-hearted bastard."

Kaidoh scoffed.

* * *

**Aww! Kaidoh does care about Momo! x)**

**Sorry that this was so short. I just wanted to get this done before my birthday (which is tomorrow, btw. =D). I'm going to be fourteen in just a few short hours! I'm so excited!**

**Well, here's the seventh chapter. I wanted to show some perspective on Kaidoh's feelings on this whole thing (not sure if I did that real well), and I also wanted to put in Kaidoh actually telling Momo that he was worried and that he does care (even if it's only implied). Next chapter is a longer conversation between the two, talking about what had happened while Momo was still at home that day. It'll show a flashback and everything. **

**Review please!**


	8. Truth and Encounter

**A while ago, I put up a poll on my page asking whether this story should become slash or not. The idea occured to me before that and I read my story over and though that it does seem to fit, but it could also do without. So I decided to ask you readers out there for your opinion. So far, the bigger amount says "No" so maybe I'll leave it at friendship only. But then maybe most of you guys didn't see the poll, so I'm going to give it another week or so before I take it down, give you guys more of a chance to vote. **

**Anyway, here's the eighth chapter! Thanks for giving me the motivation everyone! Review!**

* * *

"Oi, Mamushii?"

Kaidoh lifted his head up from his hand that was resting on his knee. Momo was in the same laying position that he had started in and gazing upward. "Nani?"

Momo grunted, adjusting himself better on the bed. "Why... Why do you care so much?"

It was at this point that Kaidoh had to restrain himself from reaching over and smacking Momo upside the head, but instead looked down at the ground and scowled. Was this guy really that much of an idiot? Really that stupid? But then Kaidoh tried to look at it from Momo's point of view. He had a long hard life with parents that abused him and the first person that finds out about this is his rival. Then the next day, his rival came and got him away from his home and into his own, where he received acre and given a place to rest. He supposed it would seem very confusing, especially from Momo's view. Hell, Kaidoh didn't even know why he had gotten so involved with Momo's problems. Was this really any of his concern?

Kaidoh inwardly sighed. Well, it was now, and there was no turning back.

He cleared his throat, looked back up and asked, "So what happened over there?"

Momo had frowned at his ignored question, but at Kaidoh's question his eyes went wide. Kaidoh saw this and immediately backtracked. "Gomenasai, that was stupid. Forget I even asked."

It was uncomfortably silent for a moment as Kaidoh looked away and Momo continued to stare at him. Kaidoh could have kicked himself. What was he thinking, asking Momo about what happened? He already had a good idea, but it didn't mean he should pry further into Momo's private life. No, Momo could tell him if he wanted to, when he wanted to, which Kaidoh was sure wasn't anytime soon

Which was why he was greatly shocked by what happened next.

"No, it's fine. You deserve to know, I guess." Momo's voice was barely a whisper, but Kaidoh heard it clearly and looked back up, eyebrows raised. He didn't expect Momo to open up about his family life this fast. Yet here he was, about to tell Kaidoh everything that had happened. Kaidoh went into a dead silence as Momo nervously licked his lips and gazed up at the ceiling, wondering where to begin.

Momo sighed. "It was after I picked up Tatsuki and Takami from a friend's house. They had little kids there that they grew up with, so they were entertained and looked after while I was at school and tennis practice, something our home doesn't have. I wasn't about to leave them alone... with_ him_."

Kaidoh heard the hidden fury in Momo's voice when he said "him," and didn't say anything, silently encouraging Momo to continue.

"We... We got home. Usually, our father doesn't get home until later, around dinnertime. But this time, I saw his car parked in the driveway when we arrived. I took them over to the side of the house, where my room was by the window and lifted them inside. When they were in, I went in through the front door."

Kaidoh bit back a remark, the usual irritation at his rival brewing inside him. He wanted so bad to say, to shout, "Baka! You're lucky you weren't killed!", to grab Momo by the shoulders and shake him for his stupidity. But he restrained himself, knowing that if he did by his actions, Momo would go back into silence, and he would never find out what happened. So he waited for Momo to gather his thoughts and speak.

Momo swallowed hard, his voice now quivering slightly. "Tou-san was waiting for me in the living room. I knew he was drunk, he's always drunk. He was sitting in his armchair, and when I came in he stood up and walked over to me. I already knew there was no point in trying to run away, I could never outrun him anyway, even if he was as drunk as he was earlier." He stopped for a second, then took a deep breath. "Kaa-san was gone. I didn't see her anywhere, so I guess she just took off. That's what tou-san was saying, anyway."

Kaidoh's fists clenched unconsciously, and he gritted his teeth in anger. What kind of mother would abandon her children when they were in obvious danger? Who would just run out on her kids like that? He tried to imagine his own mother, running for her own safety and uncaring for his and Hazue's. Impossible. But then again, that's what Momo must've thought that about his mother.

He was jolted out of his thoughts with a guilty start as Momo began again. "So... he walked over to me, and he said... 'Guess you're my replacement.'" Momo's voice broke.

Silence.

The anger that was brewing in Kaidoh stomach now serged throughout his whole body, every molecule in his being taken by fury. He had been right. Momo's father had raped him. His own fucking _father _raped his _son_. His hands trembled in his lap, and he unclenched them, instead resting his hands on his knees, his fingers fiercely gripping them.

Momo sniffed, blinking hard. He was successful, but barely; Kaidoh could still see that he was struggling to keep the tears at bay. "I begged for him to stop, that it was hurting me, but I guess it was pretty stupid to say that; he'd never cared if he'd hurt us before. It's just... This was the first time he ever did something like this. I mean, I'd never think he'd ever..." The tears betrayed him as one slipped down his cheek. Letting out a breathy laugh, he reached up and wiped it away hastily. Momo sighed. "Gomen. You must think I'm a baby right now, talking and crying like this."

Kaidoh blinked, then looked down, slightly ashamed of himself now. Looking back, he had acted like a jerk to Momo, ever since their first year at Seigaku. Momo had been just as bad, but his insults were the last thing Momo had needed, even if what he got back home was a thousand times worse than what Kaidoh ever said to him. He felt guilty for that now.

It was quiet for a moment between the two boys until Kaidoh moved, grunting as he stood up from the chair. Momo looked over. "Where are you going?"

Kaidoh swung his arms a little, stretching them out. "Well, if you're going to stay here, I might as well bring your things over. I'm going to your house. I'll be back soon."

Momo looked striken. "N-No! You can't go over there! He - He could be there by now!"

Kaidoh glanced down at Momo, who managed to lift himself in a somewhat sitting position. "I'll be fine," he said and he turned to leave.

"_No_!" Momo cried and he lunged forward, capturing Kaidoh's wrist. He winced at the pain that came with the sudden movement, but didn't let go. Kaidoh let out a sound of surprise and looked back at Momo, shocked at the sudden action from his rival. "I'm not gonna let you get yourself killed."

Kaidoh stared at Momo for a minute, deciding on the best thing to say. "Listen, Momoshiro. I'm gonna go over there, and -"

"No you're not!"

" - _if _he's there, I won't go in, and I'll come right back. But if he's not, I'm just going to grab anything you might need from your room and bring it here, alright? Either way, I'm back here in one piece," he said, waiting for Momo's response.

Momo bit his lip, frowning. Kaidoh kept waiting.

Then, Momo dropped his gaze, nodded, and let go of Kaidoh's wrist. Satisfied, Kaidoh grabbed his duffel bag from his closet and left.

**XXX**

Getting to Momo's house from his house was much easier and faster when Kaidoh wasn't half-hauling a semi-conscious Momoshiro, and it was pretty nearby, just the next block over. Kaidoh stopped in front of the walkway, glancing over by the driveway.

No cars. He took that as a good sign.

But just in case, he went over to the side of the house where Momo has said his room was. Creeping along the wall, he found the first window and stood on tiptoe, peeking inside. It seemed to be right room; clothes and garbage strewn all over the floor. It seemed very Momo to Kaidoh. He got off tiptoe and looked closer at window. He frowned as he saw a latch on the pane outside. He reached up and grabbed it, twisting it to the right. It unhooked. Raising an eyebrow at Momo's cleverness, he pushed the window up until it was big enough to maybe fit him. He placed his hands on the windowsill and hauled himself up, sliding through the window with difficulty. Carefully, he dropped down on the messy floor and stood. He was in.

Kaidoh didn't want to waste any more time examining the room so he quickly made his way over to dresser, opening the drawers and grabbing any clothes in there and shoving them in his bag, heaps of shirts, sweaters, pants, underwear, and socks piled inside the duffel bag. Once the drawers were empty, and the bag was almost full, Kaidoh stood and looked around, trying to find anything else Momo might need. His eyes sweeped the room and fell upon the familiar Seigaku uniform, laying forgotten in a heap by the door.

Kaidoh took those and placed them inside the bag as well.

_Anything else? _Kaidoh looked around again. He knew for a fact that Momo left his tennis equipment and uniform over in the locker rooms yesterday, so he didn't have to worry about that.

Momo's school things.

Kaidoh had spotted Momo's bag by the front door.

He headed out of Momo's room and down the hall to the front door, at once seeing the schoolbag Momo used. It was when he had already grabbed the bag and slung it over his shoulder along with the duffle bag and placed his hand on the doorknob that he stopped immediately at a noise.

Gravel. Crunching. An engine running.

Kaidoh went over to the window in the living room and peeked out, ducking out of sight a moment later, heart racing. There was now a car in the driveway, and Kaidoh could see behind the windshield was Momo's father.

Kaidoh cursed under his breath and moved once again toward Momo's room, all while keeping himself low and out of sight of the window. Faintly, he could hear a car door slamming shut and he began to move more quickly than before. Once he was in Momo's room again, he made a beeline for the window, which he had left open. Wrenching both bags off his shoulder, he pushed them through the small opening and heard them land with a soft thump just as he heard hard footsteps on the sidewalk outside.

Both bags were out now. Now he had to get out. And fast too; already he could hear the front door begin to open. Heart pounding, he grabbed the window again and pushed up, fitting himself through the window and wiggling out. He was half-way out now, and there were footsteps not far away from Momo's room.

"Come on now," Kaidoh whispered to himself, nearly in a frenzy. He did not have any desire to have a firsthand experience of Momo's home life. And finally, _finally,_ he was out, jumping out of the window and catching himself by the hands. Standing and turning, he lowered the window and latched it again before ducking as he heard a booming voice inside. He grabbed the bags and shoved his arms through the straps. As Kaidoh began moving to the front of the house, he could hear Momo's father shouting angrily, no doubt furious at coming home to a suddenly empty house.

Once he was at the front lawn, Kaidoh ran for it, pumping his legs as hard as he could as he bolted down the street, the bags boucing around on his back. He hoped fiercely that Momo's father hadn't already gone outside and spotted him before he got away. Not many boys in their neighborhood wore colorful bandannas and Momo's father could easily distinguish him.

At the end of the block, Kaidoh was satisfied with the distance he had placed between Momo's father and himself, so he slowed down to a walk, breathing hard and heart not quite recovered from the scary almost-encounter.

"Well, one thing's for sure," Kaidoh said to himself as he neared his home. "I am _not _telling Momoshiro about that."

**XXX**

"I see you're back in one piece," Momo said as Kaidoh entered the room after returning from getting Momo's things. Kaidoh was a little relieved to hear the joking tone in Momo's voice, and could only offer to scowl half-heartedly at Momo's comment.

"What, you don't think I'm able to take care of myself? I said I'd be fine." Kaidoh walked over to his closet and pulled out a big blanket.

Momo smirked. "Well, I seem to recall you running away from a certain cursed racket a while back? You were fine then too, right?"

Kaidoh scowled for real this time and threw the blanket at Momo's covered chest. "Urusei, baka."

Momo let out a bark of laughter and looked down at the blanket Kaidoh had thrown at him. "What's this for?"

Kaidoh rolled his eyes. "It's for you, idiot. And Tatsuki-kun and Takami-chan. You're both going to sleep in here tonight." He closed the closet door. "I'm gonna set up a bed over in Hazue's room after dinner."

At once (Kaidoh had expected this), Momo began to protest. "No, Mamushi, I - "

"Hey," Kaidoh cut him off. "I don't want to hear it. You're using my room and that's that." His tine made it perfectly clear the the conversation was done and final.

Momo silenced, seeing no point in arguing with Kaidoh. In the quiet, Momo glanced down at his stomach as it made a gurgling sound. He looked back up at Kaidoh, a sheepish expression on his face. Kaidoh once again rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"You really do think about only food."

Momo frowned and grasped his pillow, whipping it toward Kaidoh. "Hey, give me some credit! I survived since yesterday without anything to eat, so - oomph!" Momo said before a pillow made its way back to his own face. He reemerged, laughing.

* * *

**Well, reviewers were saying that this story need longer chapters (as well as others) so here it is! This has got to be the longest chapter yet on this story. =)**

**Hope you guys like! Review! =D**


	9. Nightmares and Breakfast

**Does anyone know that stimulating feeling you sometimes get when you're doing homwork, or writing a paper, things of that nature? It's happening to me now. I'm listening to "Do You Know" by Enrique Iglesias and somehow it inspired a whole new variety of ideas for this story. Huh. Funny. xD**

**Hope you guys like this! See if I write better when listening to this song.**

* * *

"How long do you think he's going to stay here?" Hazue asked as he observed his older brother from his bed laying down a thick blanket on the wooden floor. Kaidoh sighed as he stood, facing Hazue.

"As long as he needs to," Kaidoh said simply, walking over and snatching a spare pillow from underneath Hazue's head, giving him a stern stare before dropping it on top of the blanket. Hazue's head plopped down on top of his second pillow and he sat up quickly, glaring at his brother, irritated.

"What was that for?" he asked, exaggerating a bit by rubbing his head.

"Why do you need two pillows?"

"Why do always answer my questions with another question?"

"And yet, you answered my question with a question."

"You're confusing."

"You're annoying," Kaidoh shot back, turning away and bending down to fix up the blanket, spreading it out. He heard a slight commotion, and out of nowhere a pillow hit him at the small of his back. He stood up and looked behind him. There was Hazue, staring at him, no pillow on his bed and propped up on his elbow. Then Kaidoh smirked, a mischievious glint in his eyes. He reached down, grabbing the pillow, and proceeded to walked over to where his brother was.

Hazue, upon seeing his brother's actions, widened his eyes and quickly ducked underneath his covers, as if they would protect him from his brother's wrath.

And wrath rained down on him, in the form of Kaidoh dropping the unnecessary pillow on the floor and pulling the covers back (causing Hazue to yelp in surprise), and attacking Hazue's side with his fingers mercilessly. Hazue, unsuspecting of the onslaught, let out a uncharacteristic shriek, and tried to defend himself. But it was hard to keep away from a tickle attack when your attacker was bigger and stronger than you and you were letting out choking laughs every other second.

"N-Nii- _hahahahaha! - _Nii-chan! S-Sto- _hahahahaha! - _Stop! Stop! - _hahaha! _Kaa-san, _HEL- hahahahaha!"_

"Surrender," Kaidoh growled playfully, only tickling Hazue harder. Hauze was practically sobbing now for breath, letting out hard, loud laughs, all while trying to wrap his arms around himself and preventing his brother from attacking him further. His attempts were in vain, as Kaidoh had the advantage with the strength he needed to hold Hazue's hands over his head and tickling his sides with the other.

"Ngh - _hahahaha! - _NEVER! _Hahahaha!"_

"Oi, boys! It's about time to go to sleep, now quiet down!" Hozumi appeared in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest and giving both of them a stern glare. Kaidoh stopped immediately, stepping away from Hazue, who began breathing heavily from the lack of air.

"Gomen, kaa-san," Kaidoh said, turning to his brother accusingly. Hazue, able to understand the unspoken message, stared at his brother with a gaping mouth.

"Hey, I didn't start this!" Hazue said, pointing a finger at Kaidoh.

"Yeah, whatever you say," Kaidoh said, rolling his eyes and reaching over to ruffle Hazue's hair. Hazue swatted Kaidoh's hand away, smirking up at him.

Hozumi raised her eyebrows at them and nodded. "I want you two in bed now, alright? And _no talking._"

"Hai, kaa-san," the two boys said together.

She left.

Kaidoh shook his head and grabbed the forgotten pillow from the ground, throwing toward Hazue. Hazue gave an "oomph!" as the pillow made contact with his face. When he wrenched it off and opened his mouth to give a retort, he saw Kaidoh was already almost out the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked curiously, the retort he was about to give forgotten.

"Be right back," was all Kaidoh said, leaving the room completely.

Kaidoh walked down the short hallway to the next two doors over, where his room was. The door was left ajar, light from the hall streaming inside. And Kaidoh saw as he stepped closer, there lay Momoshiro, brother and sister in his arms. They were wrapped around the two in a protective matter, close to his chest. Takami and Tatsuki seemed comfortable enough, cuddling into their brother's warmth. They had slept through the commotion him and Hazue were making.

Without knowing, Kaidoh gave a small smile at the scene. The Momoshiro siblings looked consent in their sleep, not at all upset or afraid, as they had been hours ago.

Knowing he had to go back to Hazue's room, he quietly closed the door, the last thing he saw was Momo's swollen face. As the door closed completely, Kaidoh frowned, a new problem on his mind.

_What were they going to do about school and tennis practice?_

**XXX**

_Momo cried out as the agonizing feeling filled his body again, worse then the previous ones. It came out muffled, due to the shirt used as a gag in his mouth. Too numb with pain to realize it, tears streamed down from his eyes as the pain returned again. A deep laugh echoed above him._

_"What are you crying for, Takeshi?" Shun Momoshiro asked. Momo let out the loudest cry yet as a fresh wave of pain spread throughout him, the worst yet. _

_"Please, stop. Please!" Momo begged, new tears falling from his eyes. The words were muffled, courtesy of the gag. He yelped as a hand struck his face, just below his eye. It stung for a while, then began to throb painfully. Momo found he could't open it._

_"Now I can't do that, Takeshi," Shun said in a false voice. "Can't stop once I started."_

_And he shoved._

_Momo screamed._

Momo gasped as he woke up, his good eye widening and darting around the room. Where was he? What was going on here? He stayed still, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling, trying to collect his thoughts. Then slowly his other senses began to work. He felt tiny hands grabbing hands grabbing his shirt and looked down to see Tatsuki and Takami cuddled next to him.

Almost immediately he began to relax. His siblings' prescence was always helpful to calm him down whenever he was scared. He was glad that he hadn't woken up his brother and sister along with him; he had learned how to prevent himself from waking up screaming, as he had in the past. He never wanted the punishment he got from waking up his father again.

As his rapidly beating heart began to slow to a normal pace, he closed his eyes again. _It was just a dream. It's just a dream. I'm okay, I'm fine. Tatsuki and Takami are okay. It was just a dream._

Momo took a deep breath, and reopened his eyes.

That's right. He was in Kaidoh's room. They had offered him a place to stay yesterday. He was alright, they were all alright. Momo sighed in relief and took to watching his brother and sister as they slept. He didn't want to go back to sleep.

As he watched them, his thoughts drifted to the events of the past two days, what with Kaidoh finding out about his father and now this. Why did Kaidoh care so much? He wanted desperately for his question to be answered, but he remembered how Kaidoh had avoided his question the day before. It just didn't make any sense. Kaidoh _hated _him, always had since their first year Seigaku. So why had he gone out of his way to make sure Momo was alright, then take him back to his own home when he realized he wasn't? Just... why?

Momo groaned in frustration, laying his head back in his pillow. It was too early to be thinking about things. He needed to move around, get his head clear. Squeezing his eyes tightly shut at the soreness of his injuries, Momo sat upright, carefully making sure he didn't wake up his siblings. He surpressed a groan as he lifted both his siblings gently and laid them back down on the bed as he stood up, feeling his joints popping slightly as he did.

He had moved the blanket when he got up, leaving Tatsuki and Takami uncovered. He leaned over to grab the blanket, wincing as the scar on his stomach stung fiercely and the bruises throbbed ever more painfully. But before his hand made contact with the blanket, another came out from his left and softly wrapped itself around his wrist, stopping him.

Startled, Momo gasped and flinched away from the contact. He glanced up at the newcomer and was surprised to see Kaidoh standing there by his bed, fully dressed and hair still wet from the apparent shower. Immediately, Momo felt ashamed. And embarrassed. Kaidoh wasn't trying to hurt him, so why had he reacted so violently, and with such terror?

Because of _him._

Momo gulped and muttered an apology, looking down at his feet temporarily. When he next looked up, Kaidoh was still staring at him, but other than the small frown that had formed on his mouth, the usually bandanna-clad boy showed no reaction to Momo's actions. Then he turned and did what Momo had intended to do before before he was stopped, pulling the thick covers over the small frames of Takami and Tatsuki. Momo recalled the pain he felt just by bending over and realized, _He didn't want me to hurt myself further. That was all. He didn't want me to get hurt. _With that in mind, he began to relax slightly.

Kaidoh turned back to him and spoke, quietly as to not wake up the sleeping twins, "You know you should be resting right now."

Momo shrugged, noting with a mental scowl that even that action caused some form of pain. "I couldn't sleep, I got restless." He blinked at how off his voice sounded. The events of the dream kept replaying in his mind.

Kaidoh nodded. "Okay." Then he walked toward the door, beckoning Momo forward. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Momo asked.

"Just come," Kaidoh said, waving his hand forward and stepping out of the room. Momo hesitated for a second, glancing back at Takami and Tatsuki, then followed Kaidoh out.

**XXX**

"Really?" Momo asked, his face pratically screaming in disbelief as he stared at Kaidoh.

"_Fshuuu,_" Kaidoh hissed in an annoyed tone, walking back into the kitchen.

"You can not," Momo said, loud enough for Kaidoh to hear, but not so loud that the entire house woke up.

Kaidoh then walked back carrying a dish full of food, placing it in front of Momo. "You'd be surprised. Try it out."

Momo looked from Kaidoh to the food and back to Kaidoh. Then he pointed at it and raised an eyebrow at his rival. "Are you sure that you didn't poison this?"

Kaidoh rolled his eyes. "Are you going to eat?"

Momo remained uncertain for about another second before shrugging and picking up the required silverware Kaidoh had brought as well. Scooping some of the food onto his fork, he made a big show of pretending that he was trying not to eat it, but at the same time he was. Kaidoh was getting impatient, and after a moment he reached out to grab the fork, but before he got a hold of it, it was snapped out of his reach by Momo who quickly put it in his mouth, and, with real hesitation this time, started to chew.

Kaidoh had to admit, it was quite amusing to watch the expressions that crossed Momo's face as he slowly ate his food. First uncertainty, then surprise and shock, followed by satisfaction.

Swallowing that bite of food, Momo nodded and gestured at the food, looking at Kaidoh in slight awe. "Impressive. Where's you learn this?"

Kaidoh glanced down, slightly embarrassed by the praise. "Learned by watching my mother."

Momo nodded again, turning toward the food for a moment. Then he looked up at Kaidoh, a playful look in his eyes. "You sure you didn't cheat and have your mother make this for you?"

Kaidoh scoffed, grabbing and tossing a napkin had been on the table toward Momo. "Wipe your face," was all he said before turning back to the kitchen and disappearing through the doorway. Momo smirked a little and proceeded to continue eating the food Kaidoh had prepared for him. Once he was finished and his stomach was full, he stood up, picking up the plate and fork and following where Kaidoh had gone. Once in the kitchen, Momo spotted Kaidoh at the sink, back to him and apparently washing dishes.

Momo, wanting to show some form of gratitude, walked up beside him. "Here. Let me help."

Kaidoh jumped a little at Momo's sudden appearence, but moved over a little to make room for Momo. They lapsed in an uncomfortable silence for a moment as Momo washed everything in the sink, passing them to Kaidoh to rinse. After a while, Momo finally broke the silence.

"So," he said in the process of scrubbing his plate that he had just eaten out of. "I didn't know you could cook."

"Hm," Kaidoh said shortly, grabbing the plate to wash off. "Well, I didn't know you could actually be a help around the house."

"Touché," Momo smirked.

* * *

**There ya have it! Sorry if Kaidoh seemed a little OOC there in the beginning, but my thought-train usually thinks about the characters and how they act when they are not with the other team members, so I thought Kaidoh and Hazue might be close, so it's natural to lower your guard around someone you're close to right? So yeah, that kind of explains it. This also included another friendship scene with Momo and Kaidoh! There will be more to come. **

**Speaking of which, the poll that had been on my page is going to be taken off now. The results are:**

**No to yaoi: 77 percent  
Yes to yaoi: 22 percent**

**So there you go guys. This story will not be a yaoi story, it's going to remain strictly as a friendship fic. Sorry to those who voted yes, but the majority has it. Since I recently got into MomoKai, I might write a story with those two soon, so keep an eye out for that! **

**Review!**


	10. Closest Friend

It took the rest of the remaining morning until it was time to go to practice, but Kaidoh finally managed to convince Momo to stay home from school that day and rest. Momo tried to protest, saying he was fine, but it was immediately disproven when Kaidoh took him outside and gave him a racket. Kaidoh told him to do his dunk as he grabbed his own racket, lobbing it high in the air. Momo could only stare at the ball helplessly as it fell back down to the ground, bouncing to a stop, seeing that he couldn't even walk without hurting himself in the slightest bit, much less jump high enough to do his dunk smash properly.

Kaidoh hissed as the chain link fences of the tennis courts came closer into view and began to increase his pace in jogging. He caught sight of the familiar blue and white tennis uniforms and he could vaguely see a flash of red and a white cap. Kikumaru-sempai and Echizen were practicing on the courts.

Kaidoh slowed down to a walk and turned into the courts, panting slightly. As he walked further inside the courts, he took off the towel wrapped around his neck and wiped the sweat off of his face. The entire time walking to the clubhouse, Kaidoh couldn't seem to shake off the feeling that someone was watching him, but everytime he looked around, there was no one staring at him or doing anything out of ordinary. Kikumaru-sempai and Echizen had finished their practice match (Kaidoh later found out Echizen had won a close game, 7-5 games).

It was when Kaidoh had almost reached the door of the clubhouse when he heard his buchou call for him. "Kaidoh! Come here!"

Kaidoh sighed, remembering what Tezuka had told him yesterday about missing practice, and turned to walk over. He spotted Tezuka a couple yards away, by the baseline of one of the courts and headed over. As he approached, Kaidoh could see Tezuka's eyes starting to narrow some. That was usually never a good sign.

"Buchou," Kaidoh greeted, bowing. When he righted himself, Tezuka spoke.

"So, was there anything wrong with Momoshiro?" Tezuka sounded doubtful. Kaidoh let a small frown appear on his lips and answered, "Nothing major. But he wasn't feeling well, so he stayed home today."

Tezuka glared at Kaidoh, and the kouhai could do nothing but meet his gaze steadily. After a moment, Tezuka said, "Alright. If you see him again today, make sure to inform him that 'not feeling well' is no excuse to miss school, or practice. Tell him from me that he's going to get the proper punishment when he comes back." And without another word, Tezuka left, leaving a fuming Kaidoh behind.

He wanted to punch Tezuka so bad right now, to break his stoic, uncaring face and scream into his face what was really going on. But he knew he wouldn't do that. Momo had made him swear not to tell anyone. It was enough of a risk to tell his family, but they had assured him and Momo that they wouldn't tell a soul, so they were safe on that. Kaidoh just wished that someone else on the team knew about Momo, so he wouldn't have to deal with this alone.

**XXX**

Morning practice, school, and afternoon practice went by fairly fast. Pretty soon it was time to head back home.

Kaidoh closed his locker and made sure it was locked before placing his tennis clothes in his bag. He was the last one in the changing rooms today, so it felt rather odd to be in a room where he knew no one was there and still felt like he was being watched. Kaidoh paused, listening. Then he sighed in self-frustration, putting more things into his bag. He was being silly. No one was in here with him. They had all gone home a while -

"Kaidoh-sempai."

"Jeez!" Kaidoh jumped violently, whipping around to face Echizen, who was standing in the doorway and watching Kaidoh with an amused expression on his face. Kaidoh let out a long exhale, placing his hand over his chest and feeling his thudding heart. "Echizen, don't ever sneak up on me like that ever again!"

Echizen raised an eyebrow, but made no indication to press on his sempai's behavior any further. Instead he just asked, "Kaidoh-sempai, do you know anything about Momo-sempai?"

Echizen took Kaidoh's suddenly tense form as verification for his previous thoughts, but of course the older boy denied it. "You heard me with Tezuka-buchou. He wasn't feeling well, so he stayed home."

"Is he at your house?" Echizen asked sharply.

The sudden question took Kaidoh by surprise, especially when Kaidoh knew Echizen was right on and he didn't have any idea how he could've found out so fast. All he could do was mutter, "What?"

"I saw Takami-chan and Tatsuki-kun with Hazue-kun in front of your house yesterday. And I'm pretty sure those three aren't regular play dates," Echizen said without hesitation.

Kaidoh sighed, leaning on his locker.

"So... is something wrong with Momo-sempai?" Echizen asked again.

Kaidoh rubbed the back of his neck and answered, "He's fine. There's nothing wrong. Don't worry about him so much." Kaidoh stood back up and grabbed his bag, making his way around Echizen toward the door.

"Kaidoh-sempai," Echizen said as Kaidoh hand touched the handle. He turned to look at the older boy, and Kaidoh was slightly taken aback by the tiny hurt he saw in Echizen's face. "If you and Momo-sempai want to keep your secrets to yourself, that's fine, I can't stop you. But please don't treat me like an idiot."

Kaidoh frowned. "I never said you were - "

"It doesn't matter," Echizen cut across. "Momo-sempai is my closest friend, and I would appreciate it if he told me if anything was wrong."

Kaidoh was silent throughout the rest of Echizen's speech. It was only when Echizen stopped talking for about an few seconds that Kaidoh finally said, "I'll pass the message along."

Echizen only nodded, and Kaidoh left, thinking of what to tell Momo when he got back.

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**My. Back. Hurts. I swear, tennis is going to be the death of me someday. :I**

**Well anyway, here's the tenth chapter! This story is by far the longest story that I wrote here on FF! Yay to me! xD Hope you guys like! Review!**


	11. Questions and Doubts

"So... am I going to be dead after I return to school and tennis? I bet Tezuka-buchou is plotting my death right now," Momo joked half-heartedly as Kaidoh walked into the living after coming back from a jog around the town.

Kaidoh didn't respond, but took his bandanna from his head and walked past Momo, who was lounging on the couch, and walked into the hallway to the bathroom.

Once he made it into the small bathroom, he placed the sweaty bandanna on the sink and turned the knobs on it. The water came out rapidly and Kaidoh cupped his hands underneath it, waiting until his hands were full before lowering his head quickly and at the same time bringing his hands up, splashing the cold water on his face. His face drenched, he kept his eyes closed and sighed, letting his hand hand under the still running water before bringing it up to his hair, running his hand through the strands tiredly.

So Echizen knew. Or he at least suspected something was going on. Kaidoh was sure Echizen wouldn't tell his suspicions to anyone, but he didn't know to what extent. Echizen could be a mystery at times, and he never failed to surprise you. An uneasiness settled in the pit of Kaidoh's stomach. What if Echizen did tell someone? What would happen then? He supposed Echizen was smart enough not to tell Tezuka, Eiji, Oishi or God forbid Fuji. Lord knows something would be bound to happen if the tensai caught knowledge of what was going on with Momo.

Kaidoh sighed. So Echizen thought he knew, and Inui might already know. Nothing goes past their data master. But Kaidoh never saw any signs coming from their scientific sempai that he knew. Momo did a good job of covering his tracks, going as far as to making sure even Inui never knew what was going on.

So how on Earth did Echizen figure this out long before Inui did? Even if he had seen Hazue and Momo's twin siblings outside, that could've meant a number of things, none having to do anything to do with hinted abuse.

Frustrated that his thoughts seemed to be going nowhere, Kaidoh snatched the bandanna and a bar of soap from the sink and harshly scrubbed the fabric with it, holding it occasionally under the water.

"So you _do _wash it."

Kaidoh's head whipped around in the direction of the door and spotted Momo leaning on the doorframe, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Shut up," Kaidoh muttered, turning back to his current task.

"What? I had always wondered, you know?" There was a tiny hint of teasing in Momo's voice. "You wear it every single day without fail, through tennis practice and running around all day. How could anyone not suspect it's filthy?" Momo chuckled.

Kaidoh didn't respond, instead choosing to ignore the younger boy.

Momo grunted a little and Kaidoh turned to see that the boy had pushed himself form the doorway and had taken a small step into the bathroom. Kaidoh caught him in half-wince. "So what's going on? You seem a little out of it. Girlfriend break up with you or something?"

Kaidoh was silent through Momo's attempts to get him to speak. He placed the soap back where he grabbed it from and rinsed the bandanna off. After a short moment of silence that included Kaidoh wringing out the wet cloth and airing it out, he finally sighed.

"I think Echizen knows."

If Momo was expecting something, it obviously wasn't that. When Kaidoh didn't hear a reply he turned to see Momo had gone almost completely still, his face as stoic as he could keep it. Well, as stoic as it would go with his swollen eye. Once the news settled in his mind, the boy took a deep breath, rubbing his head gently.

"How did he find out?" Momo asked.

Kaidoh flung the bandanna at the towel railing on the wall and it draped across it with accurate aim. "That's the million dollar question," Kaidoh said, brushing past Momo as he left the bathroom. "I have no idea how he found out."

Momo began following him. "So what did he say to you?"

"Well, for one he's a little frustrated that you wouldn't tell him about anything," Kaidoh said, entering Hazue's room.

"What?"

"Yeah, he told me to tell you that he'd appreciate it if you came to him and not to treat him like a moron." Kaidoh unfolded a thick blanket from Hazue's bed and set on spreading it out.

"But why would he - "

"That's what I said," Kaidoh cut across. "He just wants to be trusted, that's all."

The blanket was spread on the floor. Kaidoh faced Momo and wasn't surprised to see an element of shame in Momo's features. Momo was quiet for a moment, his thoughts debating against each other.

"So... he just wants me to be honest with him?" Momo said.

Kaidoh nodded. "That's the general idea."

Momo nodded back. "Well.. he hasn't told anyone, has he?"

"No."

Momo's figure seemed to loosen some as he visible relaxed. "Good. I guess.. I could talk to him tomorrow," Momo said. Then his lips turned up at the ends in a smile. "If I can get out of house arrest."

Kaidoh scoffed, turning away, but Momo caught the tiny smile he was trying to hide.

* * *

**Chapter eleven is finally here! =D **

**Well, I surpassed my longest story **_**A New Year, A New Time **_**by two chapters already, and to think that this story will only get longer! I hope to get this story past twenty chapters at least. I have plenty of ideas for how this story will end up, but just a warning, some people might not like them. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if I got a couple reviews in the future stating how horrible it was.**

**But don't let that ruin the story for you. I have some ideas that would make this story end nicely, and some others that will make it end... not so nicely. Just depends on which ones I think suit the story best. **

**Next chapter should have Momo going to school and talking to Ryoma about what's going on. So stayed tuned and click on that feedback button please!**

**Review! =]**


	12. Ryoma Knows

**I'M BACK! =DDD Happy New Year, minna! **

**Well, as you can see, I have returned to this story after however many months. If you want to know what happened, just read the update on my profile page. Sorry for the desperately long wait.**

**Well, it's been uneventful around here except for Christmas and the New Year, so I'm not gonna spend a lot of time ranting. I'll just get on typing the story. =DD (By the way, as a quick sidenote, I changed Ryoma's name from his last name to his first to avoid any further confusion or complaints one might have).**

* * *

Momo had stayed back from school once again.

Kaidoh just wasn't convinced that Momo was ready to go back to school, considering his eye hadn't gone down and Momo was still having difficulty moving normally. He wouldn't be able to handle tennis practice right now.

It had taken about a half-hour of arguing, nearly leading into a shouting match, but with some help from Kaidoh's mother, Momoshiro finally gave in. Somewhat relaxed that Momo would listen to him right now, Kaidoh told him to get some rest. Momo nodded stiffly, and scowled at Kaidoh from the bed when he left the room, closing the door behind him.

At present, Kaidoh was on his usual jog on his way to school when he noticed another pair of feet pounding on the sidewalk behind him. He slowed down his jog ever so slightly, waiting for the unknown person to catch up.

A soft panting reached his ears and the person was beside him now, running at his pace. Kaidoh shifted his eyes to the left and say Ryoma jogging alongside him. One glance at the look on Ryoma's face told Kaidoh that they would talk later, once they had reached the school. Kaidoh nodded his head once at the silent statement, and saw Ryoma nod back.

The rest of the journey to the school was spent in silence. During the jog, Kaidoh wondered absentmindedly why Ryoma was jogging with him to school today before he remember that Momoshiro had been Ryoma's ride until now. There was no other way that the boy could get to school unless he walked, but the walk would have taken longer than if he ran, and that was exactly what he was doing.

Kaidoh huffed out a breath of air. He wondered if Ryoma was going to jog with him until Momo was well enough to return to school. It wouldn't be a bother, since Ryoma wasn't annoying him to a great extent. He was quiet, but he was still company. Kaidoh wouldn't mind, but still.

They reached the gates of the tennis courts in short time. Once they got closer to the clubhouse, Kaidoh slowed down to a walk, stepping into the small building with Ryoma following suit. Everyone else was already outside, ready and dressed. Kaidoh and Ryoma were too, but with the clubhouse empty, it would be a good place to talk privately without anyone listening in.

Once they caught their breath and Kaidoh had wiped the sweat off his face, Ryoma took a deep breath and spoke.

"So. What happened to Momo-sempai? Why isn't he here today?"

Kaidoh placed the towel on a vacant bench. "I made him stay home. I didn't think he was... fit enough to come back today."

Ryoma narrowed his eyes at his senpai. "What exactly is wrong with Momo-sempai, Kaidoh-sempai?"

Kaidoh frowned. "That's for him to tell you himself. He wants to talk to you today after school. You'll have to come over by my house, though."

Ryoma nodded, a small smirk forming on his lips. "Hai."

Kaidoh nodded back, and together they both stepped outside to join their sempai-tachi in tennis practice.

**XXX**

Momo looked up at the sound of the doorknob rattling open and grinned when he saw Ryoma's figure passing through the ajar door. "Hey brat," he greeted, pushing himself up in sitting position on Kaidoh's bed, wincing as a couple of sharp pains passed through his arms and lower back. "I was kinda wondering whether or not Mamushi would let you in to see me."

Ryoma said nothing, but closed the door behind him softly. He walked over to where his friend lay and Momo could see with every step Ryoma's eyes became wider. His smile wavered a little but remained intact on his face.

"I'm not going to bite, Echizen," Momo joked. He waved his friend over. "Not going to bite."

Ryoma frowned a little but trudged over to the empty seat beside the bed Kaidoh usually sat in. He lowered himself on the chair, not taking his eyes away from Momo's face. Or rather one part of Momo's face.

"That bad, huh?" Momo said, gently caressing his swollen eye. It still throbbed under his touch, but not as fiercely as before.

"What happened to you, Momo-sempai?" Ryoma suddenly asked, the sharpness in his voice forcing Momo to look at him.

Momo's smile dropped from his face. "Mamushi didn't tell you?"

"I got the gist of it," Ryoma said. Momo nearly grinned again at the familiar snap in the first-year's voice. But at the same time it made him feel uneasy. "I just wanted to hear it from you."

Momo blinked his good eye and sighed, leaning his head back carefully on the headrest of the bed. "My dad."

Ryoma was silent for a short moment before nodding and leaning back into the chair, disbelief written all over his face.

"Why haven't you ever said anything about it until now?" Ryoma muttered. Momo could still hear the hidden displeasure in his kouhai's voice, though. "Why wait?"

"I just... I couldn't separate us," Momo said shortly, referring to his brother and sister as well as himself.

Ryoma only nodded, but Momo knew he understood. And that was okay.

**XXX**

"The sempai-tachi miss you, Momo-sempai," Ryoma said as he lifted his bag over his shoulder. "You should come back to school soon."

Momo smiled and scoffed. They had spent most of the afternoon talking, even if the subject had been touchy for the both of them. In his own way, Ryoma had assure him that he'd be there for Momo, even if he didn't say it outright.

"_Just don't get yourself killed, eh, Momo-sempai?"_

Momo laughed a little, even though the remark wasn't made to be funny. Far from it.

"You're saying you don't miss your Momochan-sempai?" Momo said jokingly. "Brat."

Ryoma smirked and left not long after that, bidding his goodbyes to his sempai-tachi and Kaidoh's family. In Ryoma's place, Kaidoh walked into the room and sat down on the chair, hands in his pockets.

"Mamushi, you look like you're about to murder someone," Momo smiled softly.

Kaidoh arched an eyebrow.

"Then again, you always look like that," the lying boy finished. Kaidoh let out a huff of air and didn't respond, looking down.

"What's up?" Momo wondered aloud, somewhat curious about his rival's sudden silence. Kaidoh was almost always quiet anyway, but this was almost too quiet. He never kept silent whenever Momo threw a annoying comment his way. Or what Kaidoh considered annoying, anyway.

Kaidoh was saved from answering by a knock at the door. The two teenagers looked up to see Kaidoh's father Shibuki standing at the door.

"Kaoru," the man said. "A word, if you will."

Kaidoh creased his brows but didn't object his father. "Hai, tou-san," he responded and stood. With a quick glance at Momo, he made his way out the door, side-stepping for a moment as Takami and Tatsuki rushed in, and followed his father.

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**Ahhh. Good to be back. =DD Well, the good thing is now Ryoma knows! He was going to know one way or another, Momo is his best friend after all. The chapter ends here for now, and with a little cliffhanger. What does Kaidoh's father want to talk to him about? **

**Feel free to guess if you want. Next chapter gets dedicated to whoever gets it right, along with some other shoutouts I have. =) Thanks for keeping up this long, minna! Happy New Year!**


	13. Guilt

**YAY! Chappie thirteen is here. **

**Shoutouts to OROgoldenpair1, for you got the cliffhanger question right, and to IluvSilverShadow because your guess made me laugh. =D This chapter is dedicated to you guys! But every one of my reviewers will get a shoutout eventually. This story is far from over. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

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"Inui."

Inui glanced up from his notebook to find Tezuka standing in front of him, arms crossed over his chest. It was after practice, the rest of the Regulars had long since left, and Inui had stayed behind to copy down the last of his information after watching practice doubles match between Ryoma and Oishi and Eiji and Kaidoh. It had been a very close game, but Kaidoh and Eiji took the win with 7-6 games in their favor.

Brows raised ever the slightest, he closed his notebook and nodded. "Tezuka-buchou." He bent down to retrieve his bag, already having a clue as to why Tezuka had confronted him. It was a question that had been on everyone's minds since Momo had missed yesterday's practice, and now today's as well. "I assume you came to ask about Momoshiro?"

Tezuka only nodded. "Have you any information as to why?"

Inui blinked and sighed, flipping open his notebook to a different page. After reviewing it for a moment, he looked back up at Tezuka. "Well, according to my previous data and from what Kaidoh told you yesterday, there is about 8.9% chance that Momo would miss practice because he isn't feeling well."

"I knew that wouldn't be the case," Tezuka said, his gaze hardening. "Do you know what would make him miss practice without any word?"

Inui pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Well, his endurance and play have dropped slightly since the end of his first year, but recently this year, he's been working himself to exhaustion, and he's always the last to leave the locker room because of obvious cramps he should have as an effect. Neither Kikumaru nor Echizen had ever voiced anything odd, them having the best eyes." Inui tapped his notebook thoughtfully. "Though, it is very strange that Kaidoh would show much concern toward Momoshiro. His involvement with Momo has increased by 27% over the past two days alone, excluding the arguments they had before."

Inui placed his notebook carefully in his bag. "Other than this, I cannot find any other detail as to why Momo has been missing practice."

Tezuka nodded once more. "Thank you, Inui."

He watched as Inui left, brows furrowed. He knew that Inui had given him all the data he had, and no one else on the team had any clue for Momo's sudden disappearence. Everyone was worried. The only exceptions were Ryoma and Kaidoh. However, Ryoma's indifference was common, and Tezuka remembered that Ryoma hadn't been worried at all even when Momo had skipped out on three practices after the intra-school ranking matches.

With Kaidoh it was different. His tense form and play style weren't anything new; Kaidoh is always stiff and tensed up whenever Momo isn't there to release it by arguing and fighting. But the concern that he showed that first day he asked to be dismissed from practice was, indeed, strange.

And Kaidoh knew something. Tezuka knew that much.

_"I... believe Momoshiro's in trouble."_

_"How would you know that?"_

_"I have reason to believe it."_

Kaidoh's words rang in his ears. He came to the next practice and told Tezuka that Momo just hadn't been feeling well. There wasn't any trouble.

It was a cover story. Something was wrong with Momoshiro. He wouldn't just skip out and have Kaidoh come and tell an excuse for him. Or he would have arrived to school anyway; Momoshiro could almost be (if not more) as hard-headed as Tezuka.

Tezuka had made a mental note to check up on Momoshiro later when the door that led to Ryuuzaki's office opened.

"Tezuka," Ryuuzaki's wavering voice said. "Stop sitting there with your head stuck in the clouds and go home. I believe you still need to do homework?"

"Hai, Ryuuzaki-sensei. I was just about to leave," Tezuka said, pushing himself from the brick wall and lifting his schoolbag. Ryuuzaki smiled gently at him.

"I'm sure he's fine, Tezuka," she said, and Tezuka knew she was talking about Momo. "Try not to worry too much. You'll end up surpassing Oishi." She chuckled a little at her small joke.

Tezuka tilted his head in a small bow. "I'll see you next Monday, Ryuuzaki-sensei."

He left.

**XXX**

Shibuki led Kaidoh into the master bedroom and softly closed the door behind him, turning toward his eldest son. Kaidoh frowned lightly at his father. "Tou-san, what -"

"I'd like to speak with you about Momoshiro," Shibuki said, effectively cutting Kaidoh off.

Kaidoh blinked. "Uh, okay. What is it?"

"Kaoru, you come home early one day, cutting tennis practice, with an injured boy. I know he wasn't in school. So you would have had to go to his home to retrieve him, _with _-" he held his hand up in silence as Kaidoh opened his mouth to speak "- the high risk of his father being there. Did it even occur to you that you could have gotten hurt?"

Shibuki's words left Kaidoh ashamed at once. Yes, he had been aware that, with his knowledge of the domestic violence in Momo's home, there was a large chance and risk Momo's father was still home. Instead of taking the safe choice, he ran up and loudly announced that he was at the front door, the only thought in his mind was to get Momo and his siblings out and not on the fact that his father could have heard him.

But the small part of Kaidoh that still held that child innocence overpowered the shame, screaming inside Kaidoh's head that his father wasn't being fair. Since Kaidoh was the only one outside Momo's family that knew about Momo's situation, he would have felt responsible somehow had Momo turned up hurt worse than before.

And for the first time in his life, Kaidoh retorted against his father.

"Tou-san, he was being violated in his own home. By his own parents! I know that what I did was stupid, and I know that it could have gotten me hurt. But he needed help. The best thing to do wa -"

"The best thing to do was not get involved in the first place!" Shibuki scolded, his voice raising a small octave; the tiny initial shock of his son arguing with him had only startled him a moment.

"I was involved in this the moment I saw what his father had done to him in the locker room!" Kaidoh was somewhat amazed at himself; he never yelled at his father before.

"Then you call the authorities, and you let them take care of this! Do you have any idea what you have done? A man like Momoshiro's father isn't going to stop hurting his family just because they disappear! Men like him don't stop, they never do! He will continue to track down his family until he finds them, and you've endangered _this _family the moment his son crossed over our threshold!"

Momo lay in Kaidoh's bed, silently listening to the argument between Kaidoh and his father.

Tatsuki and Takami had gone with Hazue to his room, where they wanted to learn how to play his video games, leaving Momo to rest. Only he wasn't.

Momo turned onto his side and sighed, hearing the yelling go back and forth. They weren't exactly being quiet about it. Momo could see where Kaidoh got his anger from.

He knew from the get-go that coming here was a mistake. Kaidoh's father was right. He was nothing but a burden to the family, and he had put them in danger. His father could come to take him back, in the process hurting or possibly killing someone in order to get his way. And as much as he'd like to blame Kaidoh for bringing him here in the first place, he couldn't. He could've been more careful about hiding his injuries, preventing Kaidoh from finding out in the locker room.

With a heavy heart, Momo fell into a fitful sleep, the fight going on in the room a few doors down the last thing he heard.

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**I wanna squeeze Momo in a hug right now. Seriously. =(**

**I think Shibuki's reaction to this whole situation with Momo's father is really the most realistic reaction a parent can have. Not all parents are all "Oh, yeah, he's being hurt by his parents. Let's welcome him with open arms." No. My own father would have had the same reaction Shibuki had.**

**Review to tell me what you guys thought! Love to everyone!**


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